1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image data communication apparatuses which are connected to each other via the telecommunication line, network or the like, and between which, image data are sent and received. More specifically, the present invention relates to image data communication apparatuses that permit resumption of sending image data through simple procedures in case a communication error and interruption occur while image data are being sent from one communication apparatus to another.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While data read as image data from a scanner or the like are being sent from one image data communication apparatus to another, communication errors can occur with the sending interrupted because of some effects of the communication conditions in the data transmission line, reception conditions of the apparatus at the destination or the like.
In such a case, the sending process has to be restarted to send the remaining part of image dataxe2x80x94the part left unsent. But before the sending is to be resumed, the remaining part of data that has failed to be sent is placed on the scanner or the like the user judges from which page of data the sending has to be resumedxe2x80x94and it is necessary to input again information for resumption of the sending including the subscriber""s number of the destination apparatus.
An image data communication apparatus which is claimed to solve such problems is disclosed in Japanese patent application laid open under No. 2-41071. In that apparatus, it is so arranged that in case a communication error is caused, a communication results sheet containing information on the ongoing communication is outputted. On the basis of that results sheet, the sending will be restarted. Here are further details of this prior art apparatus, which will be described with reference to FIG. 11.
(Data sending procedure)
Data to be sent is set on a reader 102 with information including the subscriber""s number or dialing information of the destination inputted on an operator panel 101, and the sending is started. In case an communication error arises in the course of the sending an OCR (optical character reader) output controller 109 will print out an OCR sheet or communication results sheet containing information such as the number of the last page sent at the time of communication interruption and the subscriber""s number of the destination.
(Resumption of sending)
The data to be sent is placed on the reader 102 with the OCR sheet at the top as first page of the data and an instruction to start sending is inputted from the operator panel 101. Then an OCR recognizer 107 converts such characters as the page number and the subscriber""s number into character codes. According to these character codes, the sending is restarted thereby sending the part left unsent of the image data at the subscriber number.
In the prior art image data communication apparatus just described, the sending can be restarted even from a halfway page of the data
However, a problem with the prior art apparatus is that if inputted information such as the subscriber""s number is wrong, the sending based on the printed OCR sheet will fail to be resumed. In other words, if there are mistakes in information including the subscriber""s number contained in the OCR sheet, the data sending can not be re-established. The sending procedure has to be taken from the start by placing the part left unsent of the data and inputting information including the subscriber""s number of the destination.
Another problem with the prior art is that since all information necessary for the resumption of sending is carried on the OCR sheet, it can happen that the necessary information can not be accommodated in a one-page OCR sheet when data is to be sent to more than one destination image data communication apparatuses.
The present invention is made to bring about a solution to the problems encountered with the prior art. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image data communication apparatus that permits resumption of sending image data through a simplified procedure even if a communication error is caused by wrong information inputted for the sending
That is, the present invention is built on an image data communication apparatus in which, as shown in FIG. 1, in case a communication error occurs while an image data is being sent to another image data communication apparatus connected with the sender or source apparatus via communication means 15, image data outputting means 1 outputs a communication results report including information on the sending and when the communication results report is inputted from image data inputting means 2, the sending of the image data will be resumed on the basis of information on the sending written on that report.
The image data communication apparatus is so configured that before the sending is restarted after the communication results report is inputted from the image data inputting means 2, operating means 7 can change and input information on the sending That makes it possible to resume and complete the sending according to the communication results report even if a communication error is caused because there is a mistake in information on the destination inputted from the operator panel 9.
A job control table 17 stores information on the communication, relating that to a particular job identification (ID) given every sending. The image data outputting means 1 outputs a communication results report carrying a mark corresponding to the job ID in place of the information on the sending. Thus, information necessary for resumption of sending carried on the communication results report can be condensed into a mark corresponding to the job ID. That solves the problem encountered with the prior art that it can happen that information necessary for the resumption of the sending can not be accommodated in a one-page communication results report.
Furthermore, storage means 16 memorizes an image data to be sent; the job control table 17 stores information to specify the image data in the storage means 16, relating that to the job ID; and the communication means 15 sends out the image data corresponding to the mark put on the communication results report. That permits resumption of the sending without using, that is, referring to the image data to be sent.
Instead of the image data outputting means 1 outputting the communication-results report, it is possible to so arrange that the communication means 15 transfers the image data corresponding to the communication results report to some other image data communication apparatus. That makes it possible to know communication results at any image data communication apparatus. It is desired that such a transferring should be effected at a certain time during the time zone specified from the operating means 7.
It is also so configured that when an image data corresponding to the communication results report is received from the transferring end image data communication apparatus, the sending is restarted.